CARPE DIEM, KOFI:

UN's damning verdict: Sudan failed to halt killing 9GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN , 9/02/04, The Scotsman)

The report - which was compiled by Mr Annan’s special envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk - accuses Sudanese forces of taking part in attacks after the Security Council passed its resolution, and it paints a picture of a region whose people live in daily fear of fresh attack.

"It is incumbent upon the government of Sudan to ensure that no more attacks on civilians occur, whether the perpetrators are under its influence or not," it says.

"The government should be prepared to accept assistance from the international community if it is unable to stop these attacks and ensure the protection of the civilian population in the Darfur region."

Mr Annan’s report provides a blueprint for an expanded international presence. Currently, the African Union has 80 military observers protected by about 300 soldiers in Darfur to monitor a rarely observed cease-fire signed in April. Last night, UN diplomats indicated the UN plan called for about 3,000 peacekeepers, but stressed that the final decision was up to the African Union.

The 53-nation group, currently headed by Nigeria, is expected to make its recommendation in the coming days.

This is a moment when Mr. Annan has an opportunity to redeem the UN after its repeated failures to back interventions for humanitarian purposes. It will require him to apply the standards that Mr. Clinton, Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair have developed--that state sovereignty depends on the legitimacy of the regime--but in getting the UN on the right side of America and Britain will make it, at last, a force for good in the world.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 2, 2004 8:51 AM